RIO 2016: Speedo and the Australian Olympic team are synonymous. For as long as most Australians can remember, Australia’s esteemed athletes have been wearing the world’s most iconic swimwear brand.
Today at the aquatics venue for the upcoming 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, Olympic athletes and Rio hopefuls - Cameron McEvoy, Emma McKeon, Bronte Barratt & Jake Packard (swimming), Maddison Keeney & Dom Bedggood (diving) and Kelsey Wakefield (water polo) unveiled the Rio Olympic uniforms of the swimming, diving and water polo teams.
The swimming racing suit – the Speedo Fastskin LZR Racer, has been designed to create a powerful image with shading and contrast around muscle definition. For female swimmers, this is combined with a more feminine feel through a shaping aspect which is undertaken through tones of colour to create shadows and highlights. The overall design has been further enhanced with the iconic ‘green and gold’ of the Australian team to create an even more striking and dramatic image for the team.
“The print inspiration for our Rio Olympic uniforms is taken directly from the Fastskin competition suits created by Speedo’s International research and development team, Aqualab. We worked closely with the team to take the print elements from the racing suits to create an aesthetic that encompasses the entire aquatic team,” said, Tahnee McIlwraith, Speedo Australia Creative Development Manager. “Green and gold can be tricky colours to work with when designing swimwear however it was imperative our athletes look good and feel good whilst proudly showcasing our countries colours and iconic Australian heritage”.
Today as they unveiled the Rio Olympic uniform, Speedo Australia also announced a 12 year extension of their long-standing partnership with the Australian Olympic Team.
Speedo has provided training and competition wear to Australian Olympians since the 1956 Olympics, and this new agreement extends their partnership up to the 2028 Olympic Games - making it one of the longest standing sporting sponsorships in Australian history. The agreement will see Speedo supply training and competition wear to the Australian swimming, diving, water polo and modern pentathlon teams, and training wear for the triathlon, rowing, canoeing and synchronised swimming teams.
Graham Eyres, Brand Manager Speedo Pacific, said, “We are so excited and proud to be extending our relationship with the Australian Olympic Team. It’s our mission to inspire all Australians to swim, and grow the sport of swimming, and we believe our Olympic team sponsorship does this. There’s a new breed of young swimmers Australia will be introduced to at the Rio Games and we’re thrilled to be supporting these athletes through to Tokyo and beyond”.
Kitty Chiller, Australian Team Chef de Mission said “we have a young enthusiastic team, with many debutants who are eager to show what they can do on the world stage. They are up for the challenge and can’t wait for the Games to start. Speedo has been an integral part of Australian Olympic Teams for so many decades, it is a brand that our water based athletes know and trust and it is incredibly exciting to know they will be with us for another 12 years. I am especially excited about the special message inside the swimming racing suit. I sat down with the Swimming Australia President, CEO, Team Leader and Head Coach over a year ago discussing what would be the most appropriate words to use. I couldn’t be happier with what they came back with – ‘I am Ready’. And this team certainly is ready for Rio”.
Also attending the day were a number of Speedo’s ambassadors including Brittany Elmslie and David Morgan who qualified for Rio, along with a new crop of junior ambassadors. Minna Atherton, Jack Cartwright, Clyde Lewis, Kaylee McKeown & Elijah Winnington are the future of the Australian swim team and all dream of wearing the iconic green and gold uniform at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Australians will have the opportunity to take home their own piece of the Games, with Speedo selling limited edition replica training one piece suits in women’s and girls sizing along with briefs and aquatic shorts in men’s and boys sizing. These pieces will be available from Speedo exclusive stores, online at www.speedo.com.au and selected wholesalers from July onwards.
SPEEDO AUSTRALIA
